02/07/2017

John Martin Fischer Named Univeristy Professor

Congratulations to John Martin Fischer for being named as a University Professor by the Regents of the UC system. See here for more details. Here is an excerpt:

"John Martin Fischer, a distinguished professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside, has been named a University Professor by the University of California Board of Regents. He becomes the 41st scholar and the first philosopher across the UC system to receive the honor. The title of University Professor is reserved for scholars of international distinction who are also recognized as teachers of exceptional ability."

Because I have never seen John on Facebook--where I also made an announcement on the Flickers FB page--I wanted to thank him here for his service to our own community. More than a decade ago, I asked John to be an invited commentator on a paper written by an undergraduate as part one of the first online philosophy conferences. John, who happened to be one of the student's philosophical idols, kindly agreed to play along. The student was blown away and the entire experience was fun for not just the three of us but for the rest of the folks who participated in the ensuing comment thread. This encapsulated for me how giving John has been to the community over the years. Indeed, without its earlier instantiation in Fischer et al.'s The Garden of Forking Paths, Flickers of Freedom would never have come to be. So, congrats once again John! I am glad to see you getting the accolades and recognition you deserve (or, more precisely, *would* deserve if only the world were other than it is)!

Congratulations John--quite an accolade, placing you among the best of UC, and the pride of not just FW/action theory, but philosophy generally. I toast you tonight--of course with an excellent California chardonnay.